Campos Novos

Campos Novos is a city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. Campos Novos is a pioneer in production of pollen and the biggest grain and oat producer of Santa Catarina. The municipality invests also into fatstock and poultry farming.Main ethnic origins are Italian, German, Portuguese, Polonese and Drovers.HistoryThe Kaingang, an Indigenous people of southern Brazil, were the first inhabitants of the region.The construction of the railway São Paulo - Rio Grande do Sul and the passages of the cattle drovers in the region mobilized many immigrants. Those migrations caused the creation of many villages at the Rio de Peixe river, like Bom Retiro, Capinzal and Videira. The arrival of the Italian and German settlers induced commercial and industrial activities in the 19th and 20th centuries.Therefore the city has a rich cultural diversity. It has even a community of descendents of African slaves.19th centuryAs many of the municipalities in the region, Campos Novos populated from the first attempts of colonialisation in southern Brazil, which began between 1825 and 1830, as the farmer João Gonçalves de Araújo coming from Curitibanos settled down in the region. Shortly afterwards came the gaúchos evaiding the Ragamuffin War. Many farmers originating from Lages settled down as well, attracted by the huge quantity of terra and grassland. Then, the locality welcomed inhabitants coming from the states São Paulo and Paraná on the search of territory for cattle breeding.